Japanese expansion in East Asia
(1931-41)
Quick revision videos:
- History Summarised: The Meiji Restoration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5zlKYYp7bs
Causes of expansion (1868-1930)
Changes that transformed Japan from a feudalistic country controlled by the shogunate to a
modernised, democratic nation-state of international significance dominated by the cult of the emperor
Timeline:
(1600: Battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa bakufu unites daimyo
1853: Commodore Perry sails into Nagasaki harbour to open trade negotiations with the
Japanese emperor
1866: Satcho Alliance formed
1868 Jan: Restoration of Meiji rule (Meiji Restoration: 1868-89)
1872: Compulsory elementary education introduced
1873: Mass conscription introduced
1874: Meirokusha (Meiji Six Society) formed to promote “civilisation and enlightenment”
1889 Feb 11: Emperor presents the Constitution of the Empire of Japan, House of
Representatives Election Law passed (men over 25y/o able to afford taxes can vote)
1890: Imperial Rescript on Education issued
1894-95: First Sino-Japanese War (started Aug 1), ended by Treaty of Shimonoseki (17 April)
1902: Anglo-Japanese Alliance signed
1904-5: Russo-Japanese War, ended by Treaty of Portsmouth
1912: Meiji (Mutsuhito) dies, Taisho era (Taisho Democracy, Yoshihito) begins
1914: Japan enters WW1 on the side of the Triple Entente (Britain, France, Russia)
1915: Japan presents the 21 Demands to China
1919: Paris Peace Conference, Japan lays claim to Shandong province in China
1921-22: Washington Naval Conference, leading to Washington Naval Treaty and Nine-Power
Treaty
1925: Peace Preservation Law passed, universal male suffrage introduced
1926: Taisho dies, Showa era (Hirohito) begins
1927: The Great Depression
1928: Zhang Zuolin (Chinese warlord) assassinated
1930: London Naval Conference, Prime Minister Hamaguchi Osachi shot and critically wounded
1. Militaristic history/culture
● Previously run by a military government
○ Warlords (daimyo) under the Tokugawa Shogunate (1600-1868) before reinstatement
of imperial rule (1868)
● The noble caste of samurai were considered prestigious and honourable
1
,2. Western imperialism
● 1853-54: Commodore Perry sails into Nagasaki harbour to open trade negotiations via
gunboat diplomacy
○ Ordered fleet to fire cannons to impress upon the Japanese that resistance was futile
● Treaty of Nanking (1842): China was recently forced to concede trading rights to Britain after
losing the First Opium War
● 1858: Concessions were made, treaty signed by bakufu giving the US trading and residency
rights
○ Extremely unbalanced trading terms: Full access to merchant ports, no export taxes,
legal immunity to merchants and diplomats
● Became clear that there was a need to industralise and modernise if Japan was to defend
itself from Western powers
3. Meiji Restoration (Isolationism → Internationalism), Bunmei Kaika - Social, political, military reforms
→ Cultivation of nationalism and militarism
● Political & Military: Meiji Constitution (1889)
○ Supreme authority lay with the Emperor
○ Formed the Imperial Diet
■ Ian Buruma: Bicameral system modelled on Germany’s more autocratic style
of govt, Ito Hirobumi (president of the Privy Council) agreed w/ Bismarck that
“popular sovereignty would be a very dangerous thing”
■ House of Representatives - elected on limited franchise (men over 25y/o who
could pay a certain amount of tax → 1.14% of population)
■ House of Peers - nobility, senior civil servants, high-ranking military officers
selected by the Emperor
■ Purpose of Diet was to assist Emperor in his decision-making, he could veto
legislation
● In reality, Emperor was expected to accept advice from the Genroin,
was not expected to make political decisions b/c he was “above”
politics
○ Military was directly responsible to the Emperor
■ Unified armed forces, fighting as Japanese soldiers rather than parties of
samurai loyal to different lords
● Education reforms
○ 1872: Elementary education made compulsory, middle school was preparatory
schooling for Imperial Universities
■ Achieved basic level of universal literacy - training future soldiers to read
basic orders + operate new technology
■ Cultivated Westernised leaders to modernise Japan
○ 1890: Imperial Rescript on Education
■ Must be recited by teachers and pupil daily
■ Indoctrinate loyalty to the Emperor
■ Mikiso Hane: Purpose of rescript was that “the minds of young children were
moulded to ensure that when the time came they would go to battle shouting,
“Imperial Majesty Banzai”
● Military reforms
○ 1873: Mass conscription introduced
■ 3 years of mandatory service, 4 years in reserves
○ 1882: Rescript for Soldiers and Sailors
■ Established absolute loyalty to the Emperor
○ Buruma: “National unity was armed unity. National education was military education”
2
, ○ Soldiers and sailors were not allowed to express political opinions, nor could they
comment on imperial policies, even in private
■ Buruma: This is a flaw b/c in the 1930s eager young officers would defy a
civilian govt if they suspected it of acting against the imperial will
■ Eri Hotta: “The 1882 imperial decree could be considered one of the latent
underlying causes of Japan’s militarisation of the 1930s and, eventually, its
attack on Pearl Harbor.”
→ Cult of the Emperor formed - Japanese people united under the Emperor, who became a national
emblem/icon, focal point of Japanese pride and identity
4. Meiji Restoration - Economic and technological advancements
● Agriculture
○ 1871: Freed farmers from restrictions on land use, allowed to grow whatever they
wanted
○ 1872: Granted people the right to buy and sell land
○ Govt invested in agriculture, established agricultural colleges experimental farms,
provided farmers with technical advice
→ Improvement in seed strains + planting techniques
○ Growth of the agricultural sector of the economy helped make possible the growth in
Japan's manufacturing
■ Farmers paid taxes that the government used for investing in industrial
development
● Growth of zaibatsu (industry)
○ Shipbuilding commenced
○ Built railroads, encouraged creation of a telegraph network and shipping lines
○ Textile and silk industries expanded rapidly
● Modern banking system developed
5. Foreign policy success and failures
Reasons for expansionist foreign policy:
● To elevate its status as an imperial power equal to the West, flex new military muscle
● To access resources for a growing population
○ 1873: 35 mil → 1900: 43.8 mil; only 8.6% urbanised
● To secure territory that might, otherwise, have fallen under the control of rivals, especially
Russia, Britain, France, or the United States
1. First Sino-Japanese War (1894-95)
a. 1894: An uprising in Korea (tributary state of China) prompted its government to ask
for assistance from China, but Japan sent troops before the Chinese army arrived,
leading to conflict between the two armies
b. Resounding win for modernised Japanese army
c. Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895): Affirmed Chinese recognition of Korean independence,
cession of Formosa (Taiwan) + Liaodong Peninsula + Pescadores Islands to Japan,
China granted commercial and trading rights to Japan
d. Result: Confirmation of Japan’s superiority over China → Increased national pride +
militarism, believed it was their destiny to dominate East Asia and lead it to
modernisation
e. HOWEVER, TRIPARTITE INTERVENTION
i. Russia wanted control over Korea + the Liaodong Peninsula, Japan was
forced to relinquish the Liaodong Peninsula under pressure from Britain,
France, US
ii. Japan felt undermined by Western powers, sense of national humiliation
3
(1931-41)
Quick revision videos:
- History Summarised: The Meiji Restoration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5zlKYYp7bs
Causes of expansion (1868-1930)
Changes that transformed Japan from a feudalistic country controlled by the shogunate to a
modernised, democratic nation-state of international significance dominated by the cult of the emperor
Timeline:
(1600: Battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa bakufu unites daimyo
1853: Commodore Perry sails into Nagasaki harbour to open trade negotiations with the
Japanese emperor
1866: Satcho Alliance formed
1868 Jan: Restoration of Meiji rule (Meiji Restoration: 1868-89)
1872: Compulsory elementary education introduced
1873: Mass conscription introduced
1874: Meirokusha (Meiji Six Society) formed to promote “civilisation and enlightenment”
1889 Feb 11: Emperor presents the Constitution of the Empire of Japan, House of
Representatives Election Law passed (men over 25y/o able to afford taxes can vote)
1890: Imperial Rescript on Education issued
1894-95: First Sino-Japanese War (started Aug 1), ended by Treaty of Shimonoseki (17 April)
1902: Anglo-Japanese Alliance signed
1904-5: Russo-Japanese War, ended by Treaty of Portsmouth
1912: Meiji (Mutsuhito) dies, Taisho era (Taisho Democracy, Yoshihito) begins
1914: Japan enters WW1 on the side of the Triple Entente (Britain, France, Russia)
1915: Japan presents the 21 Demands to China
1919: Paris Peace Conference, Japan lays claim to Shandong province in China
1921-22: Washington Naval Conference, leading to Washington Naval Treaty and Nine-Power
Treaty
1925: Peace Preservation Law passed, universal male suffrage introduced
1926: Taisho dies, Showa era (Hirohito) begins
1927: The Great Depression
1928: Zhang Zuolin (Chinese warlord) assassinated
1930: London Naval Conference, Prime Minister Hamaguchi Osachi shot and critically wounded
1. Militaristic history/culture
● Previously run by a military government
○ Warlords (daimyo) under the Tokugawa Shogunate (1600-1868) before reinstatement
of imperial rule (1868)
● The noble caste of samurai were considered prestigious and honourable
1
,2. Western imperialism
● 1853-54: Commodore Perry sails into Nagasaki harbour to open trade negotiations via
gunboat diplomacy
○ Ordered fleet to fire cannons to impress upon the Japanese that resistance was futile
● Treaty of Nanking (1842): China was recently forced to concede trading rights to Britain after
losing the First Opium War
● 1858: Concessions were made, treaty signed by bakufu giving the US trading and residency
rights
○ Extremely unbalanced trading terms: Full access to merchant ports, no export taxes,
legal immunity to merchants and diplomats
● Became clear that there was a need to industralise and modernise if Japan was to defend
itself from Western powers
3. Meiji Restoration (Isolationism → Internationalism), Bunmei Kaika - Social, political, military reforms
→ Cultivation of nationalism and militarism
● Political & Military: Meiji Constitution (1889)
○ Supreme authority lay with the Emperor
○ Formed the Imperial Diet
■ Ian Buruma: Bicameral system modelled on Germany’s more autocratic style
of govt, Ito Hirobumi (president of the Privy Council) agreed w/ Bismarck that
“popular sovereignty would be a very dangerous thing”
■ House of Representatives - elected on limited franchise (men over 25y/o who
could pay a certain amount of tax → 1.14% of population)
■ House of Peers - nobility, senior civil servants, high-ranking military officers
selected by the Emperor
■ Purpose of Diet was to assist Emperor in his decision-making, he could veto
legislation
● In reality, Emperor was expected to accept advice from the Genroin,
was not expected to make political decisions b/c he was “above”
politics
○ Military was directly responsible to the Emperor
■ Unified armed forces, fighting as Japanese soldiers rather than parties of
samurai loyal to different lords
● Education reforms
○ 1872: Elementary education made compulsory, middle school was preparatory
schooling for Imperial Universities
■ Achieved basic level of universal literacy - training future soldiers to read
basic orders + operate new technology
■ Cultivated Westernised leaders to modernise Japan
○ 1890: Imperial Rescript on Education
■ Must be recited by teachers and pupil daily
■ Indoctrinate loyalty to the Emperor
■ Mikiso Hane: Purpose of rescript was that “the minds of young children were
moulded to ensure that when the time came they would go to battle shouting,
“Imperial Majesty Banzai”
● Military reforms
○ 1873: Mass conscription introduced
■ 3 years of mandatory service, 4 years in reserves
○ 1882: Rescript for Soldiers and Sailors
■ Established absolute loyalty to the Emperor
○ Buruma: “National unity was armed unity. National education was military education”
2
, ○ Soldiers and sailors were not allowed to express political opinions, nor could they
comment on imperial policies, even in private
■ Buruma: This is a flaw b/c in the 1930s eager young officers would defy a
civilian govt if they suspected it of acting against the imperial will
■ Eri Hotta: “The 1882 imperial decree could be considered one of the latent
underlying causes of Japan’s militarisation of the 1930s and, eventually, its
attack on Pearl Harbor.”
→ Cult of the Emperor formed - Japanese people united under the Emperor, who became a national
emblem/icon, focal point of Japanese pride and identity
4. Meiji Restoration - Economic and technological advancements
● Agriculture
○ 1871: Freed farmers from restrictions on land use, allowed to grow whatever they
wanted
○ 1872: Granted people the right to buy and sell land
○ Govt invested in agriculture, established agricultural colleges experimental farms,
provided farmers with technical advice
→ Improvement in seed strains + planting techniques
○ Growth of the agricultural sector of the economy helped make possible the growth in
Japan's manufacturing
■ Farmers paid taxes that the government used for investing in industrial
development
● Growth of zaibatsu (industry)
○ Shipbuilding commenced
○ Built railroads, encouraged creation of a telegraph network and shipping lines
○ Textile and silk industries expanded rapidly
● Modern banking system developed
5. Foreign policy success and failures
Reasons for expansionist foreign policy:
● To elevate its status as an imperial power equal to the West, flex new military muscle
● To access resources for a growing population
○ 1873: 35 mil → 1900: 43.8 mil; only 8.6% urbanised
● To secure territory that might, otherwise, have fallen under the control of rivals, especially
Russia, Britain, France, or the United States
1. First Sino-Japanese War (1894-95)
a. 1894: An uprising in Korea (tributary state of China) prompted its government to ask
for assistance from China, but Japan sent troops before the Chinese army arrived,
leading to conflict between the two armies
b. Resounding win for modernised Japanese army
c. Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895): Affirmed Chinese recognition of Korean independence,
cession of Formosa (Taiwan) + Liaodong Peninsula + Pescadores Islands to Japan,
China granted commercial and trading rights to Japan
d. Result: Confirmation of Japan’s superiority over China → Increased national pride +
militarism, believed it was their destiny to dominate East Asia and lead it to
modernisation
e. HOWEVER, TRIPARTITE INTERVENTION
i. Russia wanted control over Korea + the Liaodong Peninsula, Japan was
forced to relinquish the Liaodong Peninsula under pressure from Britain,
France, US
ii. Japan felt undermined by Western powers, sense of national humiliation
3
